Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Last Sunday, August 28th, was the feast
of St. Augustine – though it was superseded by the Sunday liturgy. The holy
bishop of Hippo and Doctor of Grace was, of course, a prolific writer. Almost
everything he wrote, however, was a response to particular situations and
controversies of the time and, while this is the mark of a true pastor of
souls, it also made it more likely that there would be certain exaggerations or
even errors in the finer points of his teachings.

And so, towards the end of his life (c. 426-428),
St. Augustine wrote the Retractationes
or “Reconsiderations” wherein he offers certain clarifications and corrections
to his earlier writings.

I wish to offer this post in a similar spirit. In
particular, I intend to clarify points which I have made here at The New
Theological Movement which could really be confusing to some readers.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The daily homily of Fr. Ryan Erlenbush, given last Monday for the feast of the beheading of St. John the Baptist.

St. John the Baptist is a great model for the parish priest: He died defending the dignity of marriage. The parish priest is also called to give his life in defense of marriage and family life: This means preaching the truth against contraception and promoting the family Rosary.

Monday, August 29, 2011

The
beheading of St. John the Baptist, whom Herod ordered to be headed about the
Feat of the Pasch; but his memory is solemnly kept on this day, on which his
venerated head was found for the second time. It was afterwards translated to
Rome and is preserved in the church of St. Silvester in
Capite and honoured by the people with
great devotion. (from The Roman Martyrology)

We intend, in this article, to attempt
something new for the New Theological Movement blog – we will look at several
icons of St. John the Baptist and briefly discuss the theology contained
therein.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

The proper translation of the
opening prayer of today’s Mass would read something like this: “O God, consoler
of the sorrowing, who mercifully received
the pious tears of blessed Monica for the conversion of her son Augustine,
grant unto us that, by the intervention of these two, we may mourn our sins and
find the indulgence of your grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ …”

The current translation reads: “God
of mercy, comfort of those in sorrow, the tears of Saint Monica moved you to convert her son Saint
Augustine to the faith of Christ. By their prayers, help us to turn from our
sins and to find your loving forgiveness. Grant this through our Lord Jesus
Christ …”

Notice the significant
difference in the way these two collects present the manner
in which prayer and God’s providence work – in the first, prayer is
incorporated into God’s plan and is received by him as a means to effecting this
plan; in the second, prayer is thought to move and change the divine plan, as
though prayer did violence to the Almighty. Hence, the second prayer is misleading
at best and perhaps even heretical. [however, for a defense of this second
prayer, see
our earlier article, which we still stand by]

But, if we admit that prayer (simply
speaking) cannot move God, what good is it?

Friday, August 26, 2011

He
turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.”

While some might think it
impossible that the kind and loving Jesus should speak an insult to anyone, it
is clear from the testimony of the Holy Scriptures that the Savior is willing to
apply evil and insulting words to others – he calls the Pharisees a generation of vipers (Matthew 12:34) and
the Canaanite woman a dog (cf. Matthew 15:25), among other such instances. In
the Gospel of this Sunday, it would seem that Christ even goes so far as to
call Simon Peter, whom he had only just established as the rock and foundation
of his Church, “Satan”.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

“St. Bartholomew the Apostle,
who preached the Gospel of Christ in India; thence he went into Greater
Armenia, and when he had converted many folk there to faith, he was flayed
alive by the barbarians, and by command of King Astyages fulfilled his
martyrdom by beheading. His holy body was translated first to the Isle of
Lipari, then to Benevento, and finally to Rome, to the island in the Tiber,
where it is honoured with loving veneration by the faithful.” (Roman
Martyrology)

The name “Bartholomew” does not
seem to be the proper name of this Apostle, but is more of a title – for it
means only “son of Tholmai”. Indeed, little is known about this great man.
However, if we consider the Gospel which the Roman Church reads on the feast,
we gain an insight into his identity. The Gospel does not mention St.
Bartholomew, but is the calling of St. Nathanael through the cooperation of St.
Philip.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Have you ever wondered whether
the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a physical heart? Take a look at this
post for an answer!

While you’re at it, consider
the other articles on this new blog, VirtuousPla.net,
which is aimed especially at Catholic young adults and promises to be a great
addition to the blogosphere. [I will be writing for it about twice a month, but
there are many other (young) contributors as well who will be writing from
various perspectives, all unwaveringly and unabashedly faithful to the
Magisterium of the Church.]

Additionally, check out some of
the new links that we at NTM have added to the newly-created right sidebar. You
will find links to many helpful Catholic resources (including catechisms, bible
commentaries, St. Thomas’ writings, and more) and also to a handful of the
works of Fr. Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange (including his famous article: “Where is the ‘New Theology’ Leading
Us?” – n.b. though our blog is called “The New Theological Movement”, we
are not generally followers of the “New Theology” of Balthasar, Congar, and de Lubac).

Monday, August 22, 2011

St.
Andrew of Crete frequently attributes the dignity of a Queen to the Virgin
Mary. For example, he writes, “Today He transports from her earthly dwelling,
as Queen of the human race, His ever-Virgin Mother, from whose womb He, the
living God, took on human form.” And in another place he speaks of “the Queen
of the entire human race, faithful to the exact meaning of her name, who is
exalted above all things save only God himself.” (Pope
Pius XII, Encyclical Letter proclaiming the Queenship of Mary, Ad Caeli Reginam)

Mary is proclaimed as the Queen
not only of the saints and angels in heaven, nor even of those currently united
to Christ through faith and charity on earth, but even of all people, good and
bad alike. In the same Encyclical, Ven. Pius XII states that our Blessed Lady
is “the Queen of all creatures, the Queen of the world, and the Ruler of all.”

However, we then come to a
question: Can Mary be said to be the Queen even of the non-baptized? Is she the
Queen also of the damned in hell? Is she the Queen of the demons and of Satan
their head?

Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Sunday homily of Fr. Ryan Erlenbush, on the unique nature of the Church.

When Jesus says that "the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it", he means to tell us that the powers of hell will prevail against every other reality (every philosophy, ideology, nation, power, etc) excepting insofar as it is united to the Church. The Church alone will overcome the gates of hell. Only in the Church can men hope to find salvation.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

And
so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and
the gates of the nether world shall not prevail against it.

It is well know that the name “Peter” (Petrus
or Petros) means “Rock” and, as Christians have always understood it,
our Savior gave Simon this name in order to signify that he is the “rock” upon
which the Church is founded.

However, a difficulty arises, for we know that
Christ alone is the true foundation of the Church – If Jesus Christ is the “Rock”,
how can Peter be the “Rock”?

Friday, August 19, 2011

I
will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.

In the Extraordinary Form of
the Roman Rite, the priest makes the sign of the Cross over the
water which is to be mixed with the wine at the offertory of the Mass. This
practice is preserved by some priests also in the Ordinary Form, although it is not
explicitly present in the rubrics.

Rather than discussing the
historical development of the practice or entering into the question of whether
the Novus Ordo rubrics allow (or
should allow) for its continuation, it will be good to notice that this little
sign of the Cross expresses the theology of this Sunday’s Gospel (in the Lectionary
of the Ordinary Form).

Why does the priest make the
sign of the Cross over the water? Because the keys given to St. Peter have the
power to forgive the sins of the living, but not those of the dead.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

The humility of the Blessed
Virgin Mary was so great in this life that no one, save God alone, knew or even
began to perceive her magnificence. Who could comprehend the most excellent work
of God, this perfect creature, this holy temple? As the beloved of the Lord, our Lady far surpasses all that the human mind
can contain or even imagine.

What is more, the glories of
Mary exceed not only the minds of men, but even the angelic intellect, so that
even the angels did not fully perceive – nay, they scarcely have even begun to
perceive – her beauty, her magnificence, her grace, and her glory.

The soul of the Virgin Mary,
and even her very body (the purity of which exceeds merely rational
estimation), is the enclosed garden which is fully known and possessed by God
alone. And yet, out of his love for us poor creatures, the Almighty shares with
us this august creature – he gives his Mother as our Mother. What joy!

And (according to the prophecy
of Solomon), as the angels see the Woman assumed into heaven, they marvel at
the perfection of God’s work and say to one another: Who is she?

Monday, August 15, 2011

Many Catholics (at least in the West) are under the
impression that the Latin (Roman) Church favors the opinion that the Mother of
God did not die, but was assumed at the end of her life without suffering the
separation of body and soul; while the Eastern Church favors the opinion that
the Blessed Virgin Mary did die, and that they refer to this death as a “dormition”.
In truth, although there are certain modern westerners who (quite rashly)
maintain that the Virgin did not die, the Latin tradition has generally been
even stronger than that of the East in affirming that our Lady suffered death:
While the East speaks of “the falling asleep (dormition) of the Theotokos”, the
West has traditionally favored the more blunt “the death of the Virgin Mary”.

The Latin tradition is so strongly in favor of the
doctrine that our Lady suffered death before her Assumption that
this was very nearly adopted at the Second Vatican Council after being promoted
especially by mariologists of the Roman school.

On the less-than-reliable web source Wikipedia (as of July 2011), we
find this same confusion - as though the Latin Church was not just as strong as the East in affirming the death of the Virgin Mary: “The Orthodox Church teaches that
Mary died a natural death, like any human being. […] Roman Catholic teaching
holds that Mary was ‘assumed’ into heaven in bodily form. Some Catholics agree
with the Orthodox that this happened after Mary's death, while some hold that
she did not experience death. Pope Pius XII, in his Apostolic constitution, Munificentissimus Deus (1950), which
dogmatically defined the Assumption, left open the question.”

We shall briefly consider at least one reason as to
why this confusion has crept into popular thinking. [For a discussion of whither the Blessed Mother was assumed, please consider this article, or this one.]

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Fr. Ryan Erlenbush's homily of August 14th, on the importance of maintaining the Jewish roots of Christian prayer.The Rosary, as opposed to eastern meditation (like "centering prayer" or "yoga"), is deeply rooted in the Jewish traditions. Likewise the Mass - especially in its more traditional form - has a Jewish heart. Many of the "reforms" in the '70s (like removing the altar rails and destroying the old stone altars) were a terrible mistake, since they obscured the Jewish roots of the Catholic Liturgy.Read the sermon here: The Jewish heart of Christian prayer

Earlier this week (on Tuesday),
the Church celebrated the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith
Stein). She was, of course, a Jew and she always held her Jewish heritage in
high esteem. Once, she said to her confessor, “You don’t know what it means to
me to be a daughter of the chosen people – to belong to Christ, not only
spiritually, but according to the flesh.”

The strong emphasis of this
great saint on her blood relation to Jesus through her Jewish lineage can make some uneasy. Such persons wonder: Can we really say that the Jews are still the “chosen
people”? Is it not necessary for the Jews to believe in Christ in order for
them to be saved? Since none are saved by being born of blood, nor by the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man
(John 1:13), is there any importance to being a Jew?

Rather than discussing these
questions directly, it will be helpful to consider a tension which exists
within the Scriptures themselves. In the Gospel according to St. Luke and in
St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we are presented with two different accents of
the relation between the Jews and salvation – note, I do not say there are two
different theologies but only two accents. St. Luke’s Gospel,
recording the words of Christ, seems to imply that the Jews who have rejected
Christ are (as a people, though not necessarily as individuals) shut out from salvation and left behind. St. Paul, on the other
hand, seems to state that salvation will only come to the world when the Jews (again, as a people) are converted to the true Faith.

This difference is all the more
interesting when we consider that St. Luke was a disciple and friend of the Apostle to the
Gentiles.

Friday, August 12, 2011

But
the [Canaanite] woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He
said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it
to the dogs.”

Often enough, when preaching on
this Gospel, priests and deacons will say something incredibly foolish like, “Jesus
didn’t realize just how persistent this woman could be!” Or, “This Gentile woman
taught Jesus that he wasn’t sent only to the house of Israel, but to all
people.”

It is really quite absurd to
think that Jesus was taught anything by anyone (cf. Summa
Theologica III, q.12, a.3) –
though he did obviously learn through observation, he was never the “disciple”
or “pupil” of another.

How much more absurd it is to
think that our Lord would not know his own mission! That he would be ignorant
of his role as universal mediator of salvation for all peoples! Far be it from
any to say that our Savior did not know that he was sent to save the Gentiles
also. Far be it from any to say that our Savior did not know he was going to
heal this woman’s daughter.

What is perhaps most disappointing
about this all-too-common take on the Gospel passage (according to which Jesus
is taught by the woman) is that it misses the essential thrust of the event: It
is not that our Lord is learning from the woman, rather the good Savior is
teaching her (and us) how to pray.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

The
Catholic blogosphere sometimes reminds me of the early Church – all sorts of
people are saying all sorts of things, some are right, some are almost right,
and some are way wrong. The internet is an environment with very little control,
hence there is almost no on-line oversight from the Church’s pastors (i.e. the
bishops). What is more, the internet culture is often looked down upon by the
Hierarchy – both by bishops and by many of the priests. I notice that older
priests are especially quick to discredit Catholic blogs (whether this is
because the Catholic blogosphere is quite conservative or whether it is just a
simple matter of “hiding one’s head in the sand”, I do not know).

There
are legitimate questions raised occasionally, especially when it comes to
priests (and, I suppose, bishops) who contribute to blogs: Is the blogosphere
really a dignified place for a preist? Does a priest have time to write for a
blog? And, finally, If a priest does have a blog, what should it look like?

In
this little article, I would like to provide something of an answer to these
questions. In the course of my response, I hope as well to give people a little
insight into how a priest might fit “blogging” into his busy schedule.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

St.
Lawrence is among the most beloved of the saints – indeed, it is noteworthy
that, in the current Roman Calendar, St. Lawrence alone, among those who are not
mentioned in the Scriptures, is honored with a “Feast” rather than with a simple “Memorial”. [we do admit that the
Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran is also honored as a Feast, but
this in no way lessens the unique dignity given the Deacon Martyr of Rome]

While
there are certainly many reasons why St. Lawrence is given this special honor –
which, in the Liturgy of Church, raises him to a status among the Apostles – we
look particularly to his role as a martyr. Not only was St. Lawrence the most
popular (post-biblical) martyr of the early Roman Church, but the very circumstances
of his death were such as to manifest the essence of martyrdom.

The
“martyr” is, of course, the “witness” – but to what is the martyr a witness? Certainly,
the martyr is a witness to Christ; but aren’t all Christians called to be
witnesses to Christ? What then makes the martyrs unique? The answer is found in
the consideration of this simple point: You have to be dead to be a martyr.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Nearly
every Catholic – in fact, nearly every person in general – wants to know how to
pray better. We know that prayer is all powerful, because it derives all its
power from the omnipotent Godhead. Still, we may wonder, How do we pray well? And, more
specifically, How do we pray a holy hour (or any serious length of mediation)
well?

When
it comes to such a serious question, one which results in nothing less than
eternal life or eternal death, we must turn to true masters: The great saints
of the Tradition! Among them all, St. Dominic stands out as a true master of
the spiritual life – the spirituality of St. Dominic, together with that of St.
Francis, carried the Church from the medieval period into the modern age.
Today, his feast day, it is fitting that we should look to the saint of the
Guzmán family, and learn from him the way of prayer.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

The two fundamental movements of prayer are meditation and supplication.Christian meditation has nothing in common with Eastern prayer (e.g. "centering prayer" or "yoga").All the saints are in heaven because they prayed. All the damned are in hell because they did not pray. Prayer is everything!

Saturday, August 6, 2011

And after six days Jesus
taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up
into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. (Matthew 17:1-2)

Christ
did not manifest his glory to all peoples at once, nor even did he show himself
transfigured to the entire company of the Apostles; rather, he chose only the
three – Peter, James the Greater, and John the Beloved – as witnesses to his
Transfiguration.

Why,
then, was the mystery shared only with these three? Indeed, why are these three
regularly favored by our Savior?

Friday, August 5, 2011

Jesus made the disciples
get into a boat […] he went up on the mountain by himself to pray […] Meanwhile
the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves,
for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came
toward them walking on the sea. […] “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
[…] the wind died down.

Let
us be entirely clear on this point: Our Savior’s walking on the waters was an
historical event which really and truly occurred on the Sea of Galilee, as
narrated by the Evangelists. It is sad that some of the rationalists doubt this
point. Could not he who rose from the dead likewise walk on water? Indeed, the
grace which filled Christ’s soul and which overflowed also into his body at his
Resurrection likewise gifted his body (when our Lord so willed) so as to enable
him to walk on water. The power by which he rose and the power by which he
walked on water are one and the same: His soul enjoyed the beatific vision from
the first moment of his conception.

In
addition to the plain sense of the letter (i.e. the literal or historical sense)
there is also the mystical or spiritual sense. According to the spiritual sense
of the passage, the things (e.g. the disciples, the boat, the mountain, the
water) signify other things. This shall be the focus of our little meditation.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

The
holy Curé of Ars is well recognized as the great apostle of the confessional.
Pope Benedict, in declaring the Year for Priests, explicitly presented St. John
Vianney as a model for priests in their ministry as confessors.

Much
has been said and much is known of how this holy priest spent untold hours
(even to sixteen and more hours a day) in the confessional. That he could “read
souls” is well attested by testimony even from before his death. It has even
been related that the evil one once cried out, “If there were two priests like
John Vianney, my kingdom on earth would crumble!”

And
so, we all must pray that the good Jesus would send us more priests like the
humble St. John Vianney. The priests as well must implore the Savior for all
the many graces necessary for growth as a confessor.

Still,
the priests must also imitate the example of St. John Vianney – we priests should
be asking ourselves, “How did the Curé become such a good confessor?” This
question will lead us back to Monday’s saint: Alphonsus Liguori.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

In
my seminary days, I was strongly opposed to the idea of making confession into
a time of spiritual direction. “After all,” I said, “there is only so much time
and, if the priest gives too much advice, many confessions will go unheard.”

Thus,
it was with great surprise that I read the recommendations of St. Alphonsus
Liguori (the patron of confessors and the Doctor of Morals): After imploring
confessors to take time to instruct and encourage the penitent he states, “But
some will say, ‘If we treat sinners in this manner a great deal of our time
will be taken up, and others who are waiting cannot be heard.’ But in answer I
say, that it is better to hear one confession well than to hear a great number
imperfectly. But the most appropriate answer is, that the confessor has not to
give an account to God of the persons who are waiting, but only of the person
whose confession he has begun to hear.” (from Selva, or The Dignity and Duties of the Priest)

St.
Alphonsus sees spiritual direction as integral to the work of the confessor (see, especially the final chapter of his Pratica del Confessore). Still, we simply must admit that confession is not
spiritual direction proper and there is the realistic fact of time constraints.
What will be necessary, then, is to discuss the occasions in which it is appropriate
(and perhaps even obligatory) for the priest to give some spiritual counsel to the
penitent.

Monday, August 1, 2011

Last Sunday's homily delivered by Father Ryan Erlenbush at Billings Central Catholic High School (reunion Mass) in Billings, MT.The multiplication of loaves had to be a miracle because (1) the bread which the world gives does not satisfy and (2) we can't feed ourselves by "sharing" our own little morsels.Also: Why only practicing Catholics (in the state of grace) can receive the Eucharist.

St. Alphonsus teaches
that there are four roles which the priest must perform with excellence in
order to be a good confessor: He is a father, a physician, a teacher, and a judge.
To fulfill these aspects of his duty as a confessor, the priest must, of course,
be holy – but personal holiness alone will not suffice. Indeed, the confessor
must be well-learned in the matters of moral theology. Here, we recall that St.
Teresa thought it better to have a confessor who was learned but not holy, than
one who was holy but not learned.

On the feast of the
Doctor of Moral Theology, we consider the advice which St. Alphonsus gives to
confessors. We should hope that priests would find a renewed zeal to read the
works of the Patron Saint of confessors.